1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to the recording of a musical work having an accented beat, and more particularly to a technique in which synthesized sound effects simulating those associated with an arcade electronic game in a percussive format are incorporated in the recording, and to a system for carrying out the technique.
2. Status of Prior Art
The advent of integrated circuits and microprocessors has made possible electronic games, all of which include a video display terminal and manual controls, such as pushbuttons and joysticks which operate game control circuits linked to the terminal. In an arcade game of this type, the game is coin operated.
As a player watches the game displayed on the video screen, he can act on the display by manipulating the controls. Hence the input of the game is the control actions taken by the player, and its output which appears on the screen is the result of the input actions (See "Electronic Games"--Buchsbaum and Mauro--McGraw Hill--1979).
An important aspect of an arcade-type electronic game lies in the sound effects accompanying play. These effects are complex sounds, largely aggressive in nature. Typically, the sounds are related to shooting an enemy target, whether the target is a plane, a boat, a submarine or a space ship. The sound effects which are electronically generated may simulate a gunshot, a jet plane, a flying saucer or a propeller-driven aircraft. To simulate a flying saucer traveling in space, a pulsating whistle sound may be generated. The appeal of a given game depends in good part on ingenious sound effects, and this may induce a player to insert another coin at the completion of a game.
The sound effects accompanying an arcade-type game not only add a realistic touch to the game being played to heighten the excitement of play, but they also serve to induce stress and tension in the player. Many children and teenagers today spend hours in an arcade playing Nintendo, Sega, and other popular electronic games, almost to the point of addiction. These young players are thoroughly familiar with the sound effects characteristic of each game, and should they hear these sound effects, they can immediately identify their source.
Many of the same young players attend discos where they dance to recorded rock music. Disco clubs often feature flamboyant decor and special lighting to create an atmosphere highly stimulating to the dancers. Rock music, which is normally played on electronic instruments, is characterized by a persistent, heavily-accented beat, the repetition of simple phrases, and it often includes country, folk, and blues elements.
A technique in accordance with the present invention makes use of a music synthesizer. Music synthesizers are well known and employ computers and tone generators to synthesize complex wave shapes which are audibly presented to the user (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,706).